


Two Siblings, Worried About Their Dad

by StarRoseColors



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bendy is a Good Brother, Bendy is a worried older brother, Blood, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gail is worried about her dad, Gen, Henry is worried about his kids, Human Sacrifice, Hurt/Comfort, Joey is an ass, Magic, Mentioned Past Ritual Sacrifices, Protective Siblings, Siblings, There is a lot of worry, Time Loop, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-03-01 08:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarRoseColors/pseuds/StarRoseColors
Summary: Abigail "Gail" Stein, freshly sixteen years old, tries to find out what happened to her father.She ends up entering the studio in between loops.Now stuck with an ink demon shadowing her footsteps, she has to find her dad and break the curse of the loops.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kinda based off my ideas for Bendy and the Dark Revival.

"Tell me another one Uncle Joey."

"Are you sure?"

The kitchen was bright, two people sitting at the kitchen table. One was an aging man, seated in a wheelchair. The other was a little girl, dressed in a blue dress.

Joey Drew smiled as the girl smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay then." He tugged on his storyboard to look at it. "Once upon a time, there was a man named Henry…" Abigail "Gail" Stein grinned harder, kicking her feet eagerly.

"He was a good man and a good friend. He was also a talented artist. He created a little cartoon character called Bendy." Gail handed him the little Bendy plush as routine. "Thank you. Now, Bendy was a friendly little demon, a devil darling…"

The tea in their teacups cooled as Joey told his story. Henry was very brave as he traveled the studio. He and his companion Boris were traveling together before being separated in an elevator crash. He immediately went after the friendly wolf, only to fail. Gail let out a low moan of horror when Joey told her how "Alice" had consumed Boris's heart. 

"The body was forced into her puppet and he battled Henry. Finally, Henry was able to kill what remained of Boris…"

Finally, it was the climax.

"Henry loaded the reel into the projector and it started to play. THE END lit up the screen. Bendy was able to fade in peace, knowing his story was over. The victorious hero was able to escape with his friends. He returned to his best friend, the love of his life, and his beloved daughter. The end."

Gail frowned, even as her eyes dropped. She was always sleepy after one of Uncle Joey's stories. "Uncle Joey? Do...do you think...that Papa will ever come back?"

Henry Stein had been gone for a solid month now. He had dropped Gail off at Joey before telling her that he had something he needed to check out. When he hadn't come back that evening, Joey had called his wife Linda and the police. There was a massive search going on, although people were whispering.

Joey hummed as he set Gail in his lap. "I think your Papa loves you very, very much."

"That's not an answer."

"But it is the truth." Joey sounded a little bitter. Gail didn't notice as he set her in bed for a nap. "He left me and his dream job for your mother. Then he had you when they were starting to think they couldn't have kids.”

“That...that’s nice…”

Joey watched as her eyes slid shut. Once he was sure that she was asleep, he left. He returned with a small scalpel and a small bowl. With delicate motions, he cut a pentagram into Gail’s palm. He collected the blood in the bowl. With a quiet whisper, the cut sealed itself up. A thin impression was left- it was starting to scar.

He paid no attention to it. He wheeled himself out of the room. He unlocked the door and went into another room.

The Ink Machine was waiting.

The ritual was delicate, meaning you had to use the right blood. A small amount of blood was traced along the pentagram on the floor. The rest was mixed into a bottle of what Henry had called his ‘special ink’, the same type he used to create all his Bendy cartoons. A thin layer of blood was left in the bottom. Joey turned to the storyboard. He was no artist, but he felt like he was doing a pretty good job.

He created the adventure. The hero Henry- who should’ve been there for  _ him  _ instead of  _ Linda _ \- was sketched out carefully. When the last line was done, the pentagram flashed. The Machine let out a groan.

A reel was resting in the pentagram when he turned.

He picked it up with a smile. With a fresh pen, Joey used the last remains of Gail’s blood to write THE END. “See you soon, old friend.” He made his way to a projector and pushed the reel in.

Joey closed and locked the door. He puttered around his apartment as the reel played and Gail slept. He was doing the dishes when the door opened.

“Henry! I didn’t expect you for another hour. Now you’re just trying to impress me.”

As he did his usual speech, he kept his eyes on Henry. The man looked pissed, tired, and covered in ink. His eyes always glanced to the room that Gail was sleeping in. The sleeping powder that he had slipped into her tea would ensure she wouldn’t wake up until after Henry had been sent on his way.

Henry never said a word. But, before he opened the door and the loop prepared to begin again, he shot one last longing look where his daughter was. Joey frowned. He had done this to himself. The door shut behind Henry.

Gail was rubbing her eyes when he poked his head in. Looking closer, Joey could see tears running down her cheeks. “I dreamed that Daddy was home.” she sniffed. He allowed her to hug him.

“C’mon, your mom will be coming to pick you up soon.”


	2. Chapter 1: The Ink Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gail, no.

The door creaked open.

“Dad?”

Gail Stein closed the door behind her. Joey Drew Studios was silent, empty- as if frozen in time. Dust puffed up from under her feet. She placed a hand on the wall. Despite its almost drawn appearance, the wall was solid.

Gail wasn't sure why she was here.

Well, she knew  _ why _ .

The letter was folded tightly in her pocket. She didn't need to pull it out. She had read it so much that the words were seared into her mind.

_ Dear Henry, _

_ It seems like a lifetime since we worked on cartoons together. 30 years really slips away, doesn't it? If you're back in town, come visit the old workshop. There's something I need to show you. _

_ Your best pal, Joey Drew _

Gail had found it while looking for candles.

* * *

Her sixteenth birthday had been going smoothly. Her, her mom, and Uncle Joey had eaten her favorite foods of bacon and biscuits for dinner. Gifts had been unwrapped, a beautiful sketch set among them. Then it was time for cake.

"Crap." Linda said in the kitchen, busy with the cake. "I must've forgotten to buy some candles." She poked her head in. "Gail, do you mind seeing if we have any leftover candles? I think they're in the office."

"Sure Mom!"

The office used to belong to Henry Stein, before he had disappeared. The desk was still littered with Bendy sketches. Although it was now used more for storage. Nobody used it.

Gail searched the office, coming up empty. Finally, she looked up to see a plastic box. Colorful wax was visible. "There you are!" She stood on her tippy toes, trying to reach. Curse her short height!

"Almost…"

The box fell.

Onto her head.

Gail let out a cry of pain, falling to the floor. When she sat up, there was the crinkle of paper. She glanced down. Her hand had landed on what looked like a letter. Joey's familiar messy scrawl wrote out  _ Henry Stein _ .

She picked it up with a frown. "What's this?" Flipping it open, Gail read over the words. She paled when she noticed the date.

A week before her dad had disappeared.

"'Something I need to show you'? What…?"

"Gail?"

"Coming Mom!" 

Grabbing the candles, she stuffed the letter in her pocket and fled the office. She had handed the box off to Linda. When she sat down, Gail couldn't find the strength to look Joey in the eye. Her blood had frozen with his presence.

That night, she had laid in bed.

Did Joey know what happened to her Dad? She remembered the day he had disappeared- her mom was at Grandma Nancy's. Her dad had woke her up early, saying that he needed to visit someone. Gail wasn't sure how long they drove before they arrived at the small house. She had been set up with crayons and paper as Dad and the man introduced as Uncle Joey talked. She remembered wincing as there was a bit of yelling. Then her dad had poked his head in. 

"Papa's just gotta go see something. I'll be back. Promise." He had given her one last hug before leaving. Joey had distracted her with a story and her favorite Bendy plush and tea and then a nap. She hadn't realized anything was wrong.

Not until her mom called.

* * *

Gail now stood in the studio.

The clearly abandoned, creepy studio. 

“Hello?” she called. “Anybody here?”

She wandered the halls. She paused next to what looked like a map, wondering what the INK MACHINE was. Didn’t sound like something in a usual animation studio. Clear signs of abandonment were everywhere, from the dust to the fading posters. Besides that, there was boarded up holes in the walls. There was also massive pipes everywhere. 

Gail ducked one to notice light down the hallway. There appeared to be a person standing in the room. “Hello? Hello sir?” She took off down the hallway. “Hey! Can you-” She froze in the doorway.

The person wasn’t standing.

Instead, they were strapped to a table. And it wasn’t a person.

She was staring at the lifeless corpse of Boris the Wolf.

Gail didn’t realize that she was trembling until she moved to take a step back. Her legs gave out and she fell on her butt. She took in one of her father’s beloved creations with horror.

Boris was strapped to an operating table. Straps locked him down. His eyes were X-ed out in the cartoon sign of death. There was enough room in between the straps to reveal that his chest had been ripped open. Ink dripped from white ribs, creating a massive puddle on the floor. “Joey, what were you doing?”

Was...was this what he wanted Henry to see?!

Gail managed to get to her feet and fled the room.

She wasn’t sure how long she ran, only that she did. She finally stopped. Lungs aching, she leaned against a boarded-up room. More light drew her attention. Squeezing herself through the boards, she now stood in what looked like a large warehouse.

There was a pit in the floor.

And above it was the Ink Machine.

It was a large, boxy looking thing. It was suspended by chains, a massive pipe curling down. Gail stared at it, awe contrasting with the horror of Boris.

She wanted a closer look.

Looking around, she found a set of stairs. Scrambling down them, Gail hurried to the pit. The machine was even more vast up close. What was it even for? She had seen all the bankruptcy notices in Joey’s house- was this machine why?

There was a loud clank that came from nowhere.

Then, with a low groan, the chains started to move. The machine started to descend down, deep into the darkness of the pit. Gail leaned forward to watch it. Enthralled, she didn’t hear squishing footsteps.

Then she was shoved.

“Woah!” She pedaled her arms furiously, trying not to fall.

She failed.

The last thing she saw was a vague person looking form, looking down.

Then her head slammed against the machine.

And the world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason Gail is never described is because I want you guys to have your own views. But I personally view her as a small dark-haired girl with hazel eyes, wearing black slacks and vest with a white shirt and black boots and a grey jacket.


	3. Littlest

_ Everything hurt. _

_ He- no, she?- could barely breathe. _

_ The taste of blood was thick in his mouth, pooling in his lungs. No, not blood. Ink. It was thick and it was swimming into his throat! _

_ He couldn’t breathe! _

_ He couldn’t breathe- _

_ Pain. _

_ PAIN! PAIN, PAIN, PAIN, PAINPAINPAINPAIN... _

_ THISISTHESPOTLIGHTCANYOUHEARMECALLINGMASTERPIECE- _

_ Can I get an amen? _

Gail came to with a low groan and a throbbing headache. When her eyes cracked open, it was to see chains.

Chains?

She sat up. The quick movement sent stars spiralling into her vision with a spike of pain. With a cry of pain, she gripped her head. Her fingers slid into something warm. She drew her hand away to see red.

Blood.

She was bleeding.

Gail’s careful fingers found a bump on her head. She must’ve hit her head when she got pushed.

Where was she?

She looked around and stared.

She appeared to be in a massive cavern, on a island surrounded by a massive moat of what looked like ink. The scent of it was stifling. Another look showed that the Ink Machine she was perched on was sitting on top of a much larger version of it. “Joey...what were you doing?”

Okay, first things first. Gail shedded her coat- it was  _ hot  _ in here- and carefully approached the edge of the machine. She needed to get down first. Gripping the edge, she slipped her way down. Her feet hit the larger machine and she bit back a yelp. The larger machine seemed to be ready to overheat. Gail looked around for any handholds.

Time for the hard part.

There was some cave spikes nearby. If she did this right, she could slide down one. If not...well, that would hurt. She would like to avoid hurt. And dying in general. Taking a deep breath, Gail backed up as far as she could go, then took a running start.

Her shoulder slammed into rock. She grabbed a spike and managed to curl her body around it. She slid down it and then released.

She hit the ground and rolled.

Straight into the ink.

When the dust cleared, Gail laid in a thankfully shallow area. She let out a cough and then a groan of pain. Her ribs ached and her shoulder was probably blossoming with bruises. “Well, that was exciting. Let’s never do that again.”

Looking up, she noticed what looked like a doorway in the machine. Managing to get up- (her favorite shirt!)- Gail entered the machine.

It was hotter inside the dark corridors. Looking around, she saw what looked like black statues in glass cases. Ink was at different levels inside. She paused next to one. This one was bare of a statue. But there was a black handprint on the wall and what looked like furious slaps against the wall. A small message was scrawled out.

_ I STILL REMEMBER MY NAME. _

__ Gail shivered and continued on her way. Finally, she stopped at what looked like a pair of doors. Her eyes moved past the case next to it- with the statue looking like Boris- to a lever. Pushing it down, the doors slid open.

The chamber was huge.

* * *

There was someone here.

How many times had this cycle happened? Bendy had honestly lost track. He wandered through the halls of his former prison, wasting time until Henry turned on the Ink Machine again. Then the cycle would begin…

He was so tired.

The sudden screech of the doors opening drew his attention. Henry couldn’t be down here. Not yet! He would’ve heard him. Bendy hurried as fast as he could to his least favorite room.

There was someone in there.

But it wasn’t Henry. Or  **_Drew_ ** .

This soul was bright- not as bright as Henry’s, who was filled with love and passion for his art. But it embedded with his love, the spark he put in all his creations. He could feel it. He heard whoever it was turn and a soft gasp pierce the air. He whimpered.

__ _ Please don’t be scared of me. _

Approaching footsteps, quiet. Whoever it was, they were edging to him closely. He could feel the warm flesh rest on his face, cupping his cheek. He couldn't help but let out a purr, leaning into it. How long had it been since someone had touched him with care?

“Bendy?” The voice was soft.

He nodded, a low noise escaping him. He opened the eyes he had created. There was a girl. Her hair was messy, streaked with a bit of red. The white shirt she wore was stained with ink.

He had never seen her before, but he knew who she was.

_ Sister. _

__ _ Little sister, little darling youngest masterpiece… _

__ She let out an “Oomph!” as he hugged her tightly. “S-Sister…” he managed out, throat aching. It had been even longer since he had spoken with real words. “Sister.” he managed out again. He ignored how even more ink was staining her shirt.

“Bendy...you look awful.”

He let out a whine. He knew he did. But she didn’t need to come out and say it!

“Sorry!” She patted him on the head. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He let out a purr of forgiveness. Little Sister let out a giggle, the sound soft and sweet. It was like a memory of Alice, the way Henry had created her to be.

Then she sobered.

“Do you know where Dad is?”

“N-No...not right now.” he said. The words were coming out smoother now. Little Sister was quiet for a moment. Then she pushed away from him. He let out a whine.

But he saw her hand outstretched, face set in a smile of steely determination.

“My name’s Gail. Let’s go find him.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People realize something is off.

Henry was tired.

He was so, so tired.

He pushed up the lever to bring up the Ink Machine. With the same eerie clank of chains, the massive machine was pulled up from the darkness. 

He squinted- something was off. There was a red stain on the top.

He worked his way through the original studio, still musing on that odd stain. At this point, a new detail was good. Refreshing.

That was when he realized something was off.

No. Something felt off.

The pressure was pushed and the machine started. Right on cue, he ran up to look at the Ink Machine. He peeked through the boards, ready for Bendy.

Only...there was nothing.

Henry stared. Another great big shake broke him out of it. He took off running like usual, the studio falling apart around him.

Then he fell.

* * *

 

The phone rang. Joey picked it up. "Hello? Joey Drew speaking."

" _ Joey! Is Gail over there?" _ Linda sounded panicked.

"Nope, just me."

_ "I can't find her anywhere! I checked her usual places and nobody's seen her today!" _

"Really!?"

" _ Really!" _

"Call the police, that's my suggestion. I'll wait here in case she shows up here."

" _ O...okay. Thank you." _ She hung up. Joey let out a growl.

This wasn't good. He had managed to store some of Gail's blood- a long, lengthy process that required stealing from the local blood bank and putting a probably toxic amount of sleeping pills in her system. But if it ran out…

Gail needed to be found.

He wheeled into his office, determined to see how Henry was doing-

Joey stared.

In one box, it showed Bendy leaning over someone. He looked closer.

Gail.


	5. Author's Note

Okay, so.

First, I'm sorry for not updating. Second, I'm placing this story on pause.

I'm doing it in order to plan some chapters better. I'm also doing it because I'm planning on doing the Ink Demonth. You can find the list of prompts here here: https://halfusek.tumblr.com/post/185301289214/something-inky-this-way-comes-starting-this-year

I'm really sorry and hope you accept my apology. I'm also thinking of doing my own theme week/month, so look out for that.


End file.
